Friday, July 10, 2009

A tiny bit of good news

Today they announced the winner from a shortlist of ten poems that they liked, and the winner is Inua Ellams with 'Lovers, Liars, Conjurors and Thieves'. Inua's poem is an 'ode to Southwark', London, and his poem will be published in issue 13 of Pen Pusher due on July 23rd. He will read on the New Voices stage on Sunday 19th July at 11.40am at the Latitude Festival and will also receive a cool T-shirt with the winning postcode on it, provided by I love my postcode. Well done to him!

Why am I telling you this? Because this poem, about dear old Dundalk, 'Because I Heard About the Harp', made it into the final ten! Oh my :) I knew there was something good about having a beer factory in the town - hai (as we say here!).

Hey, hey Barbara, what a roll you are on this year (this must be your 4th prize so far, no?...and we are only half way through the year...!)Good on you, congrats!...love the poem and the memories of harp...was the first real alcoholic drink I ever had...after stag! ; )

Thanks very much guys, I am delighted as when I wrote it, I very much had in mind Conor O Callaghan & Seatown (an area in Dundalk as well as the title of his book), & also a poem written by a friend of mine Catherine Ann Cullen, about the Guinness brewery in Dublin. That made me think about writing about the Harp brewery here. I had the notes for it hanging around for ages, the Pen Pusher thing was the spur to actually make me write it!

And N, glad you spotted the nod to Christy :)

TFE, thanks, the staggers work well sometimes.

Michael, yes Dundalk doesn't have an awful lot written about it ;)

Liz, not as much of roll as yourself, eh? ;)

Peter thanks - I guess I was the Irish representative. I didn't think of that last night, so thanks for pointing it up! :)

Ficts

I am an emerging poet with six kids, one partner, an MA, a portable garret and
a large food bill. I'm also a creative writing tutor, reviewer and essayist.
And I have two collections out - did I mention that? In my spare time (what's
that?) I cook.